‘Heartstopper’ tugs on heartstrings with season three

Season three of “Heartstopper” came out on Thursday, Oct. 3 and has quickly risen to Netflix’s top 10 in over 60 countries. This long-awaited season has not disappointed, bringing elements of the comics that fans have come to expect.

“Heartstopper,” based on the graphic novel series written by Alice Oseman by the same name, follows the journey of Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) in a heartwarming coming-of-age sequence that expands on relatable topics as the story progresses.

Season one kicks off Nick and Charlie’s relationship, and their struggle with coming to terms with who they are. Season two continues with their partnership, as well as their relationship with their friends and families, while first introducing talk of mental health struggles. Season three expands on this, as the fans continue to see the characters begin to learn more about themselves.

This season is more mature than the last two, as it shows Charlie’s declining mental health, Tara (Corinna Brown) and Nick’s worries for their academic futures and Darcy’s (Kizzy Edgell) attempt to figure out how they may identify.

Something that I appreciate about this season of “Heartstopper” is that it is looking more into Tori Spring’s (Jenny Walser) character. Tori, Charlie’s sister, has begun to have her story shown. In the same universe as “Heartstopper,” Tori’s story is shared in a book called “Solitaire,” also by Alice Oseman. Although not explicitly seen by the viewers, we can begin to see where her story, along with her relationship with her friend Michael (Darragh Hand), may be heading.

Another thing that I really enjoyed about this season were all of the callbacks to the first season. There were many parallels between the two seasons and anyone who has watched the first season will be able to pick up any easter eggs that are there.

“Heartstopper” is known for its characters being relatable to many people, whether it be sexualities, gender identities or mental health struggles. I personally really appreciate the different identities that the show portrays that not many others do, such as Isaac’s (Tobie Donovan) aro-ace identity.

Although this season delved into some deeper themes, it also managed to uphold the comedic elements that fans appreciate. Nick’s mother Sarah (Olivia Colman), was unable to appear in this season due to scheduling conflicts. Multiple jokes have been included to show that this isn’t something that the writers are ignoring. For example, in episode two Nick goes on vacation with his aunt, uncle and cousins. Nick says that it was a “shame that Mum had to pull out,” to which his aunt replies, “Yeah, well, there’s always next year,” as a reference to Colman possibly coming back in the next season.

While “Heartstopper” has not yet been renewed for a fourth season, it would not seem hasty to predict that it will be. Alice Oseman has been dropping hints at a potential fourth season, saying that she “will most likely be drawing Vol 6 [of the graphic novels] simultaneously while writing the season 4 scripts.”

Netflix decides which shows to renew based on completion rates, as in how many times a show is watched all the way through, and whether or not it has spent time in Netflix’s top ratings. We’ve seen in the past that shows that spend limited time in the Netflix top ten are canceled, such as “Dead Boy Detectives” or “Lockwood and Co.” However, “Heartstopper” has a history of spending time high in the rankings.

Since dropping last Thursday, I have watched season three twice and will probably watch it again soon. “Heartstopper” has been one of my favorite shows since it first aired in 2022 and I cannot wait to see where the story may lead.

 

5/5 stars

rcassio@ramapo.edu

 

Featured photo courtesy of @heartstopper, Instagram